Tuesday, January 31, 2012

We find ourselves still in Sweet November Land, enjoying a break from the winter gloom while passing the time with the Spring sprite, Bloom. It really doesn't seem like it can get much better than this I tell ya... though I have to say that I'm kinda starting to feel a little hot. Like the sun is shining brighter and the day is quickly getting much warmer. Bloom is suddenly very excited and when we ask her why, she explains that her sister must be coming!Sure enough, only moments later another small sprite comes gamboling out of the woods, a large mushroom cap perched jauntily atop her head. The two sprite siblings laugh and embrace each other then exchange a quick hello and goodbye just before Bloom bids us all farewell. After a quick wave goodbye to her sister, this new sprite introduces herself as Shroom and just like Bloom, she has an important job to do too. Wherever Shroom goes summertime follows, with it's long hot days and bright sunshine, the ripening of fruits and veggies along with the perfect excuse to swim and just relax. Hmmm... I think I could go for some of that relaxing right about now, followed by a quick dip in the river if the temperature continues to rise!Still, I was curious as to why Bloom had to leave so suddenly? Shroomie is happy to explain that that is how it's always been... she follows her sister and when they meet it is a brief yet wonderful hello and goodbye as none of the four siblings can stay in the same place together for very long.Then she yawns and settles back into the tall, sweet grass amidst the mushrooms to enjoy a summer siesta... and she encourages us to do the same. ;)

All you have to do for a chance to win the candy is leave a comment on this post. If you link to the candy on your own blog that is great and much appreciated but not a requirement... I want everyone to be able to play along. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. I will ship the candy anywhere in the world so everyone is encouraged to play! :)

The candies will stay open through Friday, February 3rd and I will announce the winners on Saturday, February 4th. And just so you know... all of the new February stamps will be available for purchase on Friday at the ATS store.

Be sure to take a minute and hop on over to the Sweet November Gals' blogs today. Sammi, Nancy, and Marion have plenty of fun designs popping up to charm and delight you! :)Once again... instead of using random generator I will be printing out names and tossing them in a hat SO if you leave comments for the SN gals on their blogs, you will get an extra name in the hat for each one that you do... this will up your chances of winning the candy... fun, fun, fun! :)

Well, that's all I've got for day two of our February SN previews... I hope you have enjoyed getting to know sweet Shroomie. And you would be nuts not to come back tomorrow for day three... see ya then!

Monday, January 30, 2012

It seems that this time of month I always get the urge to visit one of my most favorite places... Sweet November Land. Perhaps you will join me on this little journey to see what magical new places and characters we can find?

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling like this winter is never going to end. The cold, snow, ice and grey days are beginning to wear me down. Hopefully we can leave that all behind as we step through the veil and into some Sweet November Land sunshine.Hmmm... so far it's looking like we may be out of luck as things seem just as cold and snowy here too. But since things here have a way of transforming right before your very eyes, it is worth searching a bit further. So over the hills we go, down through the misty vale until we reach the edge of a dark, dense wood. I don't think we've ever come this way yet... do we dare travel onward? Absolutely! So into the thick trees we go and almost as soon as we do the atmosphere begins to change. The air here is warmer and sweeter and the snow disappears from beneath our feet, so we keep on walking. Finally as we near the edge of this strange wood, rays of sunshine filter in to warm our faces. Who could be behind this sudden change?The answer to that question just so happens to be resting sweetly on a mushroom only a stones throw from where we stand. It's a small sprite that I've never seen before. She says that she goes by the name of Bloom and she has a very special gift that comes with a very special job. For wherever Bloom goes springtime follows. So she, along with her three siblings, travels all over the world doing her part to help with the changing of the seasons. What a life that must be to always enjoy the mild temps and gentle breezes, the soft sunshine and fresh smell of growing things. Little Bloom just shrugs and says that it is all she has ever known so she has nothing to compare it to.Still after all this winter, I think she has it pretty good! ;)

All you have to do for a chance to win the candy is leave a comment on this post. If you link to the candy on your own blog that is great and much appreciated but not a requirement... I want everyone to be able to play along. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. I will ship the candy anywhere in the world so everyone is encouraged to play! :)

The candies will stay open through Friday, February 3rd and I will announce the winners on Saturday, February 4th. And just so you know... all of the new February stamps will be available for purchase on Friday at the ATS store.

Alrighty, now be sure to visit the Sweet November Gals' blogs! Sammi, Nancy, and Marion all have their creativity in full bloom today! :)Once again... instead of using random generator I will be printing out names and tossing them in a hat SO if you leave comments for the SN gals on their blogs, you will get an extra name in the hat for each one that you do... this will up your chances of winning the candy... fun, fun, fun! :)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Are you ready for some February Sweet November previews? I know! I can't believe it is that time already either! But before we start that all up again, I want to shine the Sweet November spotlight on February's very special SN Guest Gal... SammiBetbeder!One look at Sammi's mad coloring skills with Copic markers and it is no surprise to find out that she is the owner/operator of her own Aussie based store... Mad for Markers! Yep, I've been a follower and admirer of Sammi's for quite some time now and she has always had quite the way with markers and her card designing is just as impressive. Her imagination always shines through on everything that she creates and come to find out... she is also quite artistic in other ways as well. Recently Sammi has started sharing some of her own drawings and designs on her blog and I'm sure that this is the start of a whole new adventure for her! :) Now it's time for Sammi to answer the Sweet November questionnaire... which I always look forward to reading!

1) What color do feel represents your personality and why?

Purple - It is the colour for passion, romance and sensitivity. It is mysterious... a mixture of coolness and warmth (just like me) lol!

2) Is your style of dress/ home decor similar to your style of card making?

Perhaps... I am not sure of what my "style" is totally as it changes around a lot... bits of this and that... I guess that is the same for my dress and home as well as my card-making! lol

3) What one thing always puts you in a good mood?

Mmm... my lovely hubby, Guy, my copics, coffee and chatting with good friends/family - oops...was supposed to be only one thing! sorry!

4) If you could visit any time in history when would it be?

I would love to be alive at the time of Jesus' life and the early church... I think it would have been an exciting time!

5) If you were a mythical creature ie. fairy, elf, mermaid, troll, wizard, witch etc., what kind would you be and why?

Mmm, hard one there... I think I would be a fairy- to be pretty, dainty, graceful, mischievous. ;)

Bonus question

6) If you are a fellow Gleek, which character from McKinley High do you most identify with?

I'd love to say Rachel, as I would love to sing that well... but in reality I guess the character I am most like is Emma- sweet & nice (well that's what people think hehe) and would do anything to help others... and whilst I am not totally obsessive compulsive like she is, I so have "some" obsessive inclinations!

Check out the stunning card that Sammi created featuring the ever dreamy Princess Isadora. I can't get over how much like actual satin her dress looks... amazing! And the tree branch that she drew and colored... it nearly leaves me speechless. WOW! The over-all layout design may be a simple one but it is the scene that Sammi created which totally transports the viewer to another place and time. Love it! So for my CASE of Sammi's card I just had to ink up a Sweet November Princess too. I chose the serene Princess Ilyse and flipped the sketch on it's side. Then I concentrated on creating a scene for Ilyse to live in. I decided it would be fun to create a 'tower' using a Sizzix brick embossing folder and some grey cardstock that I then inked with some Pumice Stone Distress ink for added dimension. And yes, I do realize that I've got yet another yellow and grey combo going on here but what else was I going to do when working with a stone tower? I couldn't fight it. ;)

Alrighty, so tomorrow Sammi is joining Nancy, Marion,and myself when we will be kicking off the February release previews! You won't want to miss the Sweet November sneak peek week!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

So any big plans for the weekend? I've got things to do and people to see and it's all good. I'm happy to say that my week is ending on a much better note than it started. A small part of that is the happy mail that my awesome mail lady brought yesterday... my pre-order of the 12 new Copic colors are here, yeah! I'm a total marker geek because I couldn't wait to print out a new color chart and get it all filled in so that it would be ready the next time I sat down to work on an image. Even geekier... I've already started putting together a wish list of the next colors I would love to see Copic come out with. I know, it's terrible! What can I say, I'm slightly obsessed! :)

Ok, ok, on to my card... I couldn't resist printing out another of the super cute new Wryndigi stamps from Tiddly Inks. This one is Wryn and wren too tweet and boy are they ever! I was actually organizing and putting paper away when I came across this scrap of October Afternoon that I had used on a previous card last month and as soon as I saw it knew what this card's 'story' would be. Wryn is a cute little farm girl who is out watching the chicks hatch on an early spring day. And I even found this cluster of eggs stamp in an old Verve Easter set that was the perfect accent, though I did create the cracked egg by altering the largest egg and cutting it apart. Wryn's dress is paper pieced with that fab grey plaid... I know, more grey and yellow, but it's so pretty and I'm embracing the trend! ;)

Friday, January 27, 2012

Well, this is my final challenge and project as an Oddie... boy have these past six months just flown by! I had a great time though and will still be anxious to see what Kristy has in store for all of us SOG fans in the future. :)

There are some big changes occurring at the Some Odd Girl blog and the first is that it will be going to a monthly format in order to offer bigger and better prizes. Normally new challenges will kick off on the first of each month but this one will be a bit different as it started yesterday and will run through February 28th at midnight EST with the winner announced on February 29th (leap year)! Along with that you will now be required to use a SOG image (clear stamp, digi stamp or sentiment). And finally the challenges will now alternate between a color inspiration, like this one, and a sketch every other month.

To kick off the new challenge format we wanted to offer a fun and bright color challenge this time... the reds and tealsfound in the photo are truly delish! So the challenge is simple, use these colors as inspiration for your creation. If you don’t have those exactly, come as close as you can, we’re not that picky!

For my card, I used the Heartsy Mae digi and flipped the image so that she faced the opposite direction. Then I just dug through my red and teal paper scraps until I found a fun mix that would work well with Mae. They all ended up being from various October Afternoon lines so this card turned out kinda vintage pretty, which was perfect for another Valentine. :)

So I hope you'll join the fun and play along... the prize this go round are Foxy and Pinwheel Panda, talk about cuteness!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Do you want to hear something kind of cool? I was in my dashboard getting ready to start this post and noticed that there were 999 posts here at A thousand sheets of paper... making this post number 1000! And 1000 posts means at least 1000 cards made... how wild is that?! It sure wasn't something that I was keeping track of or watching for but I gotta say that I'm glad I noticed this milestone before it passed... it just puts a smile on my face. :)

So, my 1000th post is for a brand new challenge over on the Tickled Pink challenge blog! This week we want to see you create bright and colorful cards. So don't be shy when choosing your papers and embellishments... the bolder the better! Just be sure to use a Tickled Pink cutie somewhere on your card or creation.

Surprise, surprise that I was right in the zone with this one. Hey, it's no secret that I love color! And because I've been wanting to transform the new Artemis Lylah into a cupid it was another Valentine's card for me. Luckily I had these new Sweet Cakes Valentine papers to pair up with her because nobody does bright and colorful quite like Doodlebug does. This gave me liberty to go bright and bold with her coloring as well... which includes Carisa's fun red hair combo. :)

Ok, now it's time for you to get creative, check out the amazing inspiration from the rest of the design team girls and play along with us this week. There is a free digi of your choice up for grabs and the winner is now selected by random generator!Don't forget that your card must feature a Tickled Pink stamp in order to qualify for the prize... these include: Lil Lolitas and Lads, Pinkettes, Pink Pets and Cherries. All of which can be found in the Tickled Pink store.Good luck everybody!Supply list:cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press Itpaper/border sticker- Doodlebug (Sweet Cakes)stamps- Tickled Pink (Lil Greek Goddess Artemis Lylah), Studio G (sentiment and arrow)ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox creamy brownPrima flowers and gemsDoodlebug twineSharpie white markerCopic Spica glitter pensCopic markers:skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20eyes- YG25, G07, G29, C6hair- YR04, YR07, YR09, R29clothes- RV00, RV02, RV04, RV55, R24, R27, R29, E31, E34, E55, Y21, Y26, Y28, Y13, G20, 0

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

So after a couple of not-so-great days I'm thinking that I need to refresh and regroup so that this week isn't a total bust. That is my goal for the day... along with a small list of other things, but definitely the most important one. :)

Ok, so I had started coloring up miss Poppy here a couple weeks ago for a video request that I had and it was about time that I got her onto a card. I used more Basic Grey Picadilly papers on this one... LOVE them and I'm so glad that I'm finally putting them to use. They were released at a weird time, just before the holidays started rolling around so I was already heavy into Halloween and Christmas cards thus making it so I had to set them aside for a later date. They are so delicate and feminine, without relying on lots of pink and now I am finding them to be a perfectly pretty pick me up to the cold and grey weather that we are experiencing here too.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Raise your hand if you're glad to see Monday done and over with... me, me, me! The week can only get better from here. At least that's what I'm hoping anyway.

Anywho... it's review preview time over on the ATS blog once again. I wanted to play with the new Sweet November Birthday Fairwees again and Daphne ended up floating on to today's card. These little gals are not only cute but quick to color which sometimes is exactly what I need. Sure, I love to color but there just isn't always the time that some of the more involved images require. That's where the Fairwees come in to play. :)I put the rest of the card together quickly too, with the help of this new Jenni Bowlin border punch... doesn't it look like party banners when cut like that? Simple, simple, simple. Now there are even more review preview inspirations to be found from my fellow team mates here and all of the new January stamps can be found in the ATS store.

Monday, January 23, 2012

It snowed and snowed and snowed yesterday. And while I had a few things I should have taken care of, I kinda just took a day for me instead. I may be paying for it later this week but hopefully not too much.

What I did do (after shoveling more snow than I would like) was hunker down in my crafty room and color up a storm of my own, LOL! Some of which included this Sugar Nellie Rosie image that I decided to also feature in a couple coloring videos... and a card making video, which is a first for me. If you're interested, and have some free time, you can check out the videos here, here and here... as well as at Color Me Copic.It was a little weird filming my process, especially since it is a pretty basic 'Amy' card and nothing ground breaking. Because I pretty much said everything there I'm now having a hard time thinking what to write about it that doesn't feel repetitive, LOL.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Can I just say that I'm glad it is Sunday? Yesterday is done and gone and I plan on relaxing a bit today because I need it. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. :)

Quickly, quickly, this is a card that I actually made for the ATS review preview and I'm just now getting it up to share here. I used the super sweet Swiss Pixie Birthday Lucy and paired her up with these Picadilly papers by Basic Grey. There is something about these new Pixies that has me reaching for a more homespun/shabby chic type paper when putting a card together for them... not sure why that is but they just look so cute in the more muted color palettes.And see that ruffle down there? I was feeling extra crafty and decided to pink the edge of some white tissue paper then ruffle it across the card. I think it turned out kinda cute and I love how the tissue ties back to the actual gifts one would be opening on their big day. Ahhh, torn wrapping paper and tissue strewn about the floor... a sure sign of a very good birthday indeed! ;)

Alrighty, even though I would like nothing more than to go relax first I've got to tackle a couple of tasks on my to-do list. Wish me luck in that endeavor, I'm just not feeling very motivated so far.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Well here we are at another fine weekend. I've got work today and more snow piling up outside but I'm not gonna let it get me down. Positivity is the name of the game and even if I would rather be enjoying sunshine and sandy beaches, I'm going to make the best of what I've got. Perhaps I can find a movie to watch tonight that will do the traveling to warmer climes for me. ;)

Anywho, today I've got the last of the three SOG Birthday cards that I made for this past week's release. This one features Baker Mae and something about her was giving off a bit of a 50's retro housewife kinda vibe to me. Though I can't recall ever seeing a 50's housewife with plum purple hair like hers, LOL! I couldn't help it though, seeing as how I had already given Birthday Mae and Cupcake Mae each pink hair, this Mae couldn't be left out of the fun. And who knows... maybe one of those 50's tv actresses did have purple hair, we just don't know because all those shows are black and white! :)

Don't forget that all of the new SOG birthday stamps are now available in the SOG store, including the special birthday digital stamp that has been awaiting a name. If you submitted a suggestion for it then be sure to hop on over to the SOG blog and see if you are the lucky winner!

Friday, January 20, 2012

So has anyone else been hit with loads of snow this past week? We've been watching it pile up since Wednesday and it has been absolutely frigid as well. It's like Mother Nature is all of a sudden making up for the late start to winter with a vengeance, LOL!

Thankfully, I've had plenty of bright and colorful birthday cards to create keeping my spirits buoyed during the current white out. Take Birthday Mae for instance... I was cruising around Pinterest and came across a photo of a gal who had dyed her hair in this two-toned pink ombre that was so pretty and I had to try recreating the look on a stamp! Mae was perfect because with that fun dress of hers she already looked like a birthday cake. ;)All of the new SOG birthday stamps are now available in the SOG store and we have a cool customer showcase over on the SOG blog! Check it out! :)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

So have you been enjoying the birthday celebration at Some Odd Girl this week? Lot's of fun stuff going on... including the release of three brand new clear stamp sets! And the best part is, they are available for pre-sale right now... yeah!

My card today features the new Cupcake Mae along with one of the sentiments that comes with her. OMGosh, how I love, love, love her hair! The pretty up-do with the quirky cherry accent is just SO much fun to color. And I had to make it confection pink not only to match the papers I chose to use but also because she is super sweet ... just like a cupcake. Oh, and if you want to practice adding candlelight to an image she's a great one for that as well. :)

Alrighty, be sure to hop on over to the SOG blog to see all of the beautiful birthday cards that my fellow Oddies have created with these new stamps. It's always so much fun to see everyone's different takes on the various images and they are sure to inspire!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

I'm back with one final rubber stamp preview from Tickled Pink's January release. We are super excited to be kicking off the year with some fresh, new images that are different and fun! This time the Lolitas and Lads have traveled back in time to the era of the Greek Gods and Goddesses and these images designed by Christina Dee are absolutely amazing. I promise that you are going to love all six of the previews leading up to the release on January 20th (that's today for all of us here in the States).Today Willow has become the alluringGoddess Aphrodite. Aphrodite is known as the Greek Goddess of desire, beauty, fertility, the sea, vegetation and most importantly... love. She represented the universal (and often irrational) power of love. Considering all of that love associated with this pretty miss it seemed only natural to create a Valentine with her, don'tcha think?I kind of went a bit crazy with the frou-frou girlie goodies on this card but Aphrodite looks like she approves, LOL! Now, as always it wouldn't be a Tickled Pink Stamps preview without a prize, so head on over to the Tickled Pink blog and leave a comment on today's post for a chance at winning your very own Willow Aphroditedigi stamp! And while you are there be sure to check out the beautiful cards that my fellow Pink Ladies have created too!Supply list:cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press Itpaper- Glitz and GCD Studiosstamps- Tickled Pink (Lil Goddess Aphrodite Willow), Verve (sentiment)ink- Memento tuxedo black and Colorbox creamy browncrinkled ribbonPrima leavesMaking Memories rosesMaya Road heart stick pinWebster's Pages nettingKaiser Craft gemsSharpie white markerCopic Spica glitter pensCopic markers:skin- E000, E00, E11, R00, R20hair- E50, E51, E53, Y11, Y21eyes- B34, B37, B39clothes/bird- RV000, RV00, RV02, Y21, Y26, Y28, Y13, RV55, RV66, YG03, YG67, YG99, E40, E41, E34background- BG0000

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Olo!It's time for another brand new rubber stamp preview from Tickled Pink! We are super excited to be kicking off the year with some fresh, new images that are different and fun! This time the Lolitas and Lads have traveled back in time to the era of the Greek Gods and Goddesses and these images designed by Christina Dee are absolutely amazing. I promise that you are going to love all six of the previews leading up to the release on January 20th (Jan. 19th for those of us in the States).Today we are back to the boys and Lestat has become the radiant GodApollo!Apollo was the god of light, order, arts and muses, reason, and prophecy. He was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of Artemis. As I mentioned the other day, he is the yin to Artemis' yang and where she represents the moon, Apollo and his chariot drive the sun across the sky each day. Pretty cool, no? ;) Take a look at that pose... doesn't he just exude a 'shoot for the stars' kind of attitude that is perfect for motivational cards?! And with some slightly different coloring and the right papers he can also work great for a very cool looking Cupid on a Valentine. Once again the Fun Day paper pad from my pal Lisa (thanks Lisa!) saved the day and pulled this card together for me. :)